Preview The New Audrey Hepburn Anniversary Exhibition

Escape To The Future

IN Paris this morning: Kate Moss struggles her way into Chanel with Jamie Hince and they both give Beth Ditto a big shriek and a bigger hug before settling next to Mario Testino in the front row - alongside Claudia Schiffer, Virginie Leydoyen and Frieda Pinto. Kate links arms with Mario, waves to Jefferson Hack sitting opposite her and the show starts: "Love to love you baby..."

Despite the chill this week in the capital - and all the layers and fur on the catwalks - collections yesterday began with a glorious sunset. Both Stella McCartney and Giambattista Valli opened their shows to a warm glowing backdrop; Stella's was yellow, pink and green whilst Valli's was orange and hopeful - and from both the future emerged.

Not as literally as we have seen the future thus far this season, more the future of McCartney's masculine tailoring or of Valli's colourful femininity - although futurism in the purest sense was still in evidence elsewhere.

Advertisement

Zucca went back to futuristic basics with silver-eared, green-haired models sporting a space-worthy utilitarian collection. Viktor & Rolf took inspiration from marble Renaissance statues as well as futuristic travel - finding the artistic in both.

With all this talk of aliens and sunsets - where did a woman more concerned with traditional design find her dress of the season? Yves Saint Laurent, of course - where Pilati took Yves' masculine-sexy muse to new levels, producing socially acceptable fetishism of the most demure and reserved kind.

The home strait of Paris is just as appealing as what has gone before, with Antonio Berardi, Vanessa Bruno, Agnes B, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and <a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/search/default.aspx/Shows/?Designer=Chanel" >Chanel</a> all lining up today. Sunsets, marble statues, aliens, sexy secretaries and more still to come - of that you can be sure.